Written by Maria Vanillo / Staff Writer
The law states that all male U.S. citizens after thirty days of their eighteenth birthday and all male immigrants living in the U.S., who are 18 to 25 years old, are required to register for Selective Service.
Instead of batting on the football field, seniors at Bishop Amat High School will fight on the battlefield.
“To be quite frank, I don’t like having the thought that at any moment I can be drafted without a say,” said senior Julian de la Garza.
“Making someone leave their family, friends, future and life forcibly would be catastrophic and personally I would hate to go, not because a lack of patriotism but because America was built on the ideals of freedom and liberty to strive to live the ‘American Dream,'” said de la Garza. “Something I look forward to. Although there must be safety from our troops to maintain this freedom, there must be a compromise to this law,”
According to sss.gov the following events occur when a draft is declared:
1. CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT AUTHORIZE A DRAFT
A crisis occurs which requires more troops than the volunteer military can supply. Congress passes and the President signs legislation which starts a draft.
2. THE LOTTERY
A lottery based on birthdays determines the order in which registered men are called up by Selective Service. The first to be called, in a sequence determined by the lottery, will be men whose 20th birthday falls during that year, followed, if needed, by those aged 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25. 18-year-olds and those turning 19 would probably not be drafted.
3. ALL PARTS OF SELECTIVE SERVICE ARE ACTIVATED
The Agency activates and orders its State Directors and Reserve Forces Officers to report for duty.
4. PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND MORAL EVALUATION OF REGISTRANTS
Registrants with low lottery numbers are ordered to report for a physical, mental, and moral evaluation at a Military Entrance Processing Station to determine whether they are fit for military service. Once he is notified of the results of the evaluation, a registrant will be given 10 days to file a claim for exemption, postponement, or deferment.
5. LOCAL AND APPEAL BOARDS ACTIVATED AND INDUCTION NOTICES SENT
Local and Appeal Boards will process registrant claims. Those who pass the military evaluation will receive induction orders. An inductee will have 10 days to report to a local Military Entrance Processing Station for induction.
6. FIRST DRAFTEES ARE INDUCTED
According to current plans, Selective Service must deliver the first inductees to the military within 193 days from the onset of a crisis.
The draft has been changed since the Vietnam War. Before, men were called up from oldest to youngest, 25 to 18½ years old. This lottery left the men in fear of being chosen. Today a man will only spend one year on the first priority list. This would be according to when he turned 20 or when his deferment ended. Each year his chances of selection would decrease. This allows all men to not “hold their breath” until they are 26 and released from the selective service.
Another change since 1971 was that a man could qualify for a student deferment or be delayed from service if he could show he was a full- time student making satisfactory progress towards a degree. This law is null and void today.
One exception from selective service is man who is the one and only son, whose father died as a result of military service.
The other exception is being a woman.
“I think it is unfair that women do not have to register for the selective service. I believe that all Americans should equally register because it is their national duty as a citizen living in the United States and is an effective way to give back to the country they reside in,” senior Josilyn Ruiz said.
Those who object to serve will be assigned jobs like conservation, caring for the young and elderly, education, or health care. The others, whose beliefs impact their service, will serve in the Armed Forces, but will not use weapons.
When the male seniors of the class 2014 turn 18, some will exchange their football dog tags for army ones, either by choice or by draft.
